Heretofore, an optical film exhibiting various optical characteristics has been utilized for optical compensation in the liquid crystal display device depending on the mode thereof. For instance, as an optical compensation film of a TN mode liquid crystal display device, an optical compensation film having an optically anisotropic layer made from a liquid crystal composition on a transparent support composed of a polymer film is proposed (Patent Document 1).
A problem of the TN mode liquid crystal display device is that when obliquely observed at an angle of 45 degrees (ordinarily downward azimuth) to a director direction of liquid crystals, blocked up shadows or gradation inversion (inversion of light and shadow in gradation) occurs in every gradation to seriously impair the display quality in some cases. As means for solving the problem, a proposal is made in that an absorption axis of polarizing plate is arranged neither in parallel nor orthogonal to the director direction of liquid crystals (Patent Documents 2 and 3).